


Nightfall and Nightmares

by clandestinemeetingsinthetrees



Series: ZK Drabble December 2020 [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Awkward Conversations, F/M, Late Night Conversations, Love Confessions, Post-Canon Fix-It, ZK Drabble December 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:14:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27825847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clandestinemeetingsinthetrees/pseuds/clandestinemeetingsinthetrees
Summary: Katara can't sleep and she wonders why the nightmares won't stop. Zuko joins her on the balcony. "I get them too"Written for ZK Drabble December 2020 day 1
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: ZK Drabble December 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2040542
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26
Collections: ZK Drabble December 2020





	Nightfall and Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this for ZK Drabble December! Actually the first bit of fanfic I've posted. Katara's struggling to find her place in a world at peace. Zuko's stressed out by his Firelord duties and has been missing his friends. Two insomniacs that haven't really talked since one took lightning for the either meet on a balcony.

Katara never used to mind the nights, but then again, she’d never had to bear them alone. As a child she always had her family to keep her company. All cuddled in their tent as her mother would sing and her father would tell stories. Even in the ever-present darkness of winter, home always seemed to be bathed in the golden light of fire and the warm sound of laughter or snores. It wasn’t until after her mother died that the darkness seeped in and the nightmares started.

After her father left the tent that used to seem so small and cramped became so cold and empty. At least she still had the sound of Sokka’s snores to keep her company as she lied awake at night. And anyways, at least at night she didn’t have to hide her bending or do everyone’s chores.

They pretty much went away during her travels. Looking back, she thinks that might have been the best time of her life. Sure, they’d always threaten to haunt her, but sleep came easy surrounded by her closest friends. Maybe it was the feeling that all this would be over soon. The hope that grabbed her by the shoulders and showed her the way as soon as she pulled Aang out of that iceberg. Even though she knew it would be hard and there was the constant reminder that were being hunted, being with the Avatar made her feel almost invincible. It felt like destiny was finally in their favor.

In the dark moments, that month after the Day of Black Sun, where she doubted herself and felt that destiny slip father and farther into possibility rather than certainty, they’d creep back in. But how come after it all was over, after they’d found peace or at least something resembling it, would they storm back into her haunted nights with reckless abandon? 

So here she was, out on a balcony in the Fire Nation palace of all places, haunted and completely and utterly alone.

Or so it seemed… 

She heard a door creep open behind her and a voice came through. “Katara? Is that you?”

It was Zuko. Of course, he’d be the one to catch her brooding on the balcony. “Hey, what are you doing up? I thought insomnia was my thing.” It was a pretty sad attempt at humor but Zuko never was the best at jokes. 

“Just couldn’t sleep. I have a lot on my mind,” she replied.

“Oh, look if it’s about the reparations agreement with the Southern Water Tribe, I told you I’m trying to get my advisors to agree to more aid. It’s just hard when they still treat me like I’m a child who needs a regent. It’s been almost three years and the country hasn’t completely gone to shit so I don’t think I’m doing that bad a job.”

“No, it’s not that Zuko.” She almost forgot the reason she was there in the first place. Serving her people, that’s supposed to be her main goal not having nightmares and traipsing around the Fire Nation palace at 2AM.

“I get them too you know.” She turns to him surprised. He’s leaning his arms against the balcony looking out at the moon. He couldn’t possibly be reading her mind, right?

“What are you talking about?”

“The nightmares. Don’t play dumb with me Katara, I can recognize another tortured soul.”

Maybe it was the insomnia, or maybe it was the way he was looking at her, she’s not sure but everything spilled out. “I just thought they’d go away now.” Her voice breaks a bit and she’s trying so hard to keep it together. Zuko is the last person she wants to cry in front of but here she is. “I just don’t understand. We won the war and everyone I love is safe and I should be happy and at peace but I’m not. I’m restless and confused and… lonely.”

“You’re lonely? Come on Katara you have your whole family back home and Aang visiting constantly. Trust me being here is what’s lonely. Uncle’s visiting less and less because I’ve ‘got everything under control” but I don’t feel like I do. I’m only nineteen and I could use an advisor that listens to me instead of just thinking of me as the Avatars puppet.” 

He was starting to get a bit fired up. She hadn’t seen this side of Zuko in a while. He always seemed so regal nowadays, walking around in his Firelord robes and barely saying a word to her the few times she’d seen him.

“Not sure how much my opinion counts but you’re not the Avatar’s puppet. In fact, I don’t think I’ve meet someone who listens to Aang less.”

“Oh well I’ll take that as a compliment”

“And just because I have my family doesn’t mean I don’t get lonely. Aang doesn’t visit much anymore. Home feels so much smaller than I remembered and even with all of Sokka’s expansion projects I still feel like I’m iced in. I just wish they would listen to me! Everyone back home acts like Sokka and Aang single handedly defeated the fire nation and I’m just his sister or Hakoda’s daughter. I miss being Katara, you know?”

“I understand. You don’t know how badly I just want to be Zuko sometimes, just Zuko”

“Remind me again why we haven’t hung out in forever?” she laughed. It felt good to just complain to someone. She forgot how much Zuko made her feel understood.

“I don’t know I guess things got weird after I became Firelord. I couldn’t really neglect my duties and go off with the rest of the gang anymore. And then you and Sokka went home, and Aang always has his Avatar duties. Toph still hangs around the palace but now she’s always travelling. She tells me she needs to ‘find herself’. Like the rest of us don’t also wanna go find ourselves!”

Katara giggled at that. How could Toph, of all people, need to find herself? She always seemed to know exactly who she was unlike Katara. She used to be the one who took care of everyone else but if she was taking care of everyone else, who was left to take care of her?

“And well,” Zuko reached up and awkwardly started rubbing his neck, “I guess I kind of stopped talking to you when Mai and I got back together…” He trailed off looking a bit embarrassed. 

“Why does Mai not like me or something?” Katara raised an eyebrow.

“Well… she kind of hates you I guess?”

“What? Why?”

“When she figured out I got struck by lightning because I jumped in front of it for, well, you she, uh, got a bit mad at me.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense! You would’ve done that for anyone of us.”

At this he looked her in the eyes, and it felt like there was something more there. His golden eyes seemed alight with something. 

“No Katara, I wouldn’t have.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. Should she say something to that? A thousand thoughts raced through her head.

“Wait I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything. It was just a stupid crush that I got over years ago and I don’t even know why I brought it up. You’re with Aang anyways and I don’t want to—”

“Aang and I broke up.”

They both froze for a moment. Did she really just say that? Like that? In that content insinuating… well…

They both looked away from each other. When they turned, they both spoke.

“I didn’t—” Katara started.

“Wait Katara. Look I didn’t mean to make things weird between us. Just forget I said anything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And with that he sulked off into the palace walls and Katara was alone again. This time with much more to think about than just her nightmares.


End file.
